The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award–is named in honor of Orville and Wilbur Wright who were two American aviation pioneers credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful motor-operated airplane. The Wright Brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The brothers were also the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, nominees must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot certificate.
• Have 50 or more years of civil and military piloting experience or 50 or more years combined experience in both piloting and aircraft operations.
  • Up to 20 years of the required 50 years may be U.S. military experience
  • The effective start date for the 50 years is the date of the nominee’s first solo flight or military equivalent.
  • The 50 years may be computed consecutively or non-consecutively.
• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Have NOT had any airman certificate revoked.

Note: Revocation of any airman certificate will disqualify a nominee for this award.

To Apply

Follow application procedures located in the current Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award Information Guide. (PDF)

Contact your local FSDO for more information.

If you have additional questions, or if you are a Master Pilot Award recipient and your name is not on this list please contact your local FAASTeam Program Manager.

CAA Member Recipients

Jim Theda	2014
Dallas Enger	2018
Chuck Hess	2019
Ted Millar	2023
Stan Swan	2023
Walt Swan	2023